November 2007

I left Bangor at 1 pm on November 12, 2007. After traveling for 25 hours I arrived to Punta Arenas, Chile on November 13.

2007 season Field site Location Click on image to see larger

It was just a short drive from the airport to my hotel and a shower revived me very quickly. I went to the INACH building for a brief meeting with Jefferson Simões, Francisco Aquino (both from UFRGS) and Ricardo Jaña (INACH).

I learned that several members of CASA expedition had already crossed the Drake Passage on the Brazilian Antarctic Program vessel Ary Rongel and were ready to unload our expedition cargo at the Chilean base Escudero on King George Island (see the maps). One very important piece is the freezer and ice core boxes for the transport and storage of the ice cores we will be drilling.

We also have a problem with our gear that was sent two weeks ago from Maine and for some reason has not arrived in Punta Arenas. Potentially it could create a logistical issue because we have to place this gear on a C-130 flight scheduled for November 16, operated by Brazilian Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira, or FAB). We spent most of the day trying to understand the problem and figure out a way to correct it.

We cannot spend a lot of time in Punta Arenas waiting for our shipment because we already have Twin Otter flights scheduled with the Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aérea de Chile or FACh). Hopefully our efforts to trouble shoot the shipment helped and we will know more tomorrow.

Today at 7.30 am a C-130 operated by Brazilian Airways took members of the Brazilian Antarctic expedition to King George Island. We are next on the list, scheduled for tomorrow.

Our team members that deployed earlier by boat were transferring expedition cargo to the Chilean station and were opening the station after the winter. They had to deal with a lot of snow blocking the station entrances. Thanks to the internet and local cell phone service from Entel we were able to chat with our team members using cell phone and then Skype. The wind at king George Island was increasing today and pressure was dropping which could potentially could impact our plans for tomorrow.

We also got word from the shipping company. Our gear will be delayed at least another week. We spend a day trying to replace missing gear from local climbing stores. We should hear later today from the C-130 commander if we are leaving tomorrow.